Peter Stoffer in the House of Commonshttp://openparliament.ca/politicians/peter-stoffer/Statements by Peter Stoffer in the House of Commons, from openparliament.ca.enThu, 26 Feb 2015 14:50:00 -0500Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/26/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3987967" data-originallang="en">The problem, Mr. Speaker, is that yesterday, in the House of Commons, the parliamentary secretary said, “The minister...will do everything and commit everything to helping her through this crisis”. This morning, the family got an email from the lieutenant colonel in Victoria saying that they are not prepared to do anything to help her in terms of her accommodation or food allowance when she gets there. In fact, they even questioned why she is coming to Victoria in the first place.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3987968" data-originallang="en">The reality is that it was DND that did the misdiagnosis. It did an operation on her that was not required. It has ruined her life. Now she is asking for basic help to get her life back together. </p>
<p data-HoCid="3987969" data-originallang="en">Will the <a data-HoCid="209147" href="/politicians/jason-kenney/" title="Jason Kenney">Minister of National Defence</a> now tell the House and the family that he will ensure that she gets all the help she needs when she gets to Victoria?</p>Thu, 26 Feb 2015 14:50:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/26/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/25/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3984600" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, the reason the Conservatives do not do the survey is that they do not want to hear stories like that of Robyn Young, one of the bravest young women I have ever met in my life as a member of Parliament. This woman has gone through pure hell with the Department of National Defence, and so has her mother. All they are asking for is basic dignity and basic responsibility from the department to ensure that they get all the help and services they both need to get their lives back to normal.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3984601" data-originallang="en"> DND should not be reviewing this itself; rather, the minister should be reviewing it. Will he stand up and tell the family they will get all the benefits they need so they can get back to living their lives in a normal way?</p>Wed, 25 Feb 2015 14:50:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/25/peter-stoffer-1/Parliament of Canada Acthttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/19/peter-stoffer-1/<p class="procedural" data-HoCid="3976815"> moved for leave to introduce Bill <a data-HoCid="7835717" href="/bills/41-2/C-654/" title="An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (omnibus bills)">C-654, An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (omnibus bills)</a>.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3976816" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, I have been an MP now for seventeen and a half years, and I have to be honest with my constituents and the people of Canada that I am here under false pretenses, and so is every single one of the members of Parliament in this House. </p>
<p data-HoCid="3976817" data-originallang="en">Our number one responsibility, when it comes to legislation, is the fiscal scrutiny of all legislation that leaves this House. However, when legislation comes forward with 418 pages that would change 50 statutes and laws, nobody in the House of Commons reads it. Nobody in the House of Commons properly does the job we need to do to have fiscal scrutiny of the government. </p>
<p data-HoCid="3976818" data-originallang="en">My bill would stop omnibus legislation from coming in. Legislation could only be introduced if attachments were related to the subject matter. One could not introduce legislation that had nothing to do with the subject matter at hand. </p>
<p data-HoCid="3976819" data-originallang="en">This practice has to stop in the House of Commons. We have to restore democracy to the Canadian people.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3976820" data-originallang="en"> I am proud to say that we in the NDP want to stop the bus when it comes to omnibus bill legislation.</p>
<p class="procedural" data-HoCid="2"> (Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed) </p>Thu, 19 Feb 2015 10:05:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/19/peter-stoffer-1/Veterans Affairshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/17/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3975187" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, the <a data-HoCid="78738" href="/politicians/stephen-harper/" title="Stephen Harper">Prime Minister</a> stated in the House of Commons that when it came to cuts to the DVA, only backroom jobs would be cut.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3975188" data-originallang="en"> Just recently 44 front-line jobs have been cut in order to transfer that work over to backroom private service insurance companies to deal with insurance benefit claims for veterans. Now we find out that Medavie Blue Cross will cut off the benefits of veterans if it cannot reach them by phone.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3975189" data-originallang="en">My question for the minister is very clear. This ideology that the government has regarding cutting public service jobs and transferring that work over to the private sector will not improve benefits for veterans. In fact, it will frustrate them even more. Will the minister reverse his decision and bring those jobs back to the public service?</p>Tue, 17 Feb 2015 14:45:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/2/17/peter-stoffer-1/Veterans Affairshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/1/29/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3957147" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, 83-year-old disabled veteran, Basil McAllister, of Burton, New Brunswick, fought the Department of Veterans Affairs through the review board for 10 years, along with 2 court decisions, to finally realize his compensation benefits because of the chemical spraying at Gagetown.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3957148" data-originallang="en">In 2005, the <a data-HoCid="78738" href="/politicians/stephen-harper/" title="Stephen Harper">Prime Minister</a>, then the opposition leader, said that everyone affected by this spraying would be cared for. Thousands upon thousands of military personnel, their families and civilians are without proper compensation and care for the terrible injuries they suffered from the chemical spraying at Gagetown.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3957149" data-originallang="en">Will the government now do the right thing and ensure that all of them get the proper dignity they so rightfully deserve?</p>Thu, 29 Jan 2015 14:40:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/1/29/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/1/27/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3954807" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, every Canadian knows that there is a moral and social obligation to care for those men and women we ask to put themselves in harm's way. However, it is only the <a data-HoCid="78738" href="/politicians/stephen-harper/" title="Stephen Harper">Prime Minister</a> and the Conservatives who do not believe that there is a moral and social obligation to care for them, especially now those in Iraq.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3954808" data-originallang="en">My question, very simply, is for the Minister of Veteran's Affairs. Does the government believe that there is a moral, social, legal, and fiduciary responsibility to care for the heroes of our country who the government asked to put in harm's way?</p>Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:45:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/1/27/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/1/26/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="0" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, for the record, he is my 11th minister in 17.5 years, and these problems still continue. However, I do congratulate the hon. member for <a data-HoCid="190568" href="/politicians/erin-otoole/" title="Erin O'Toole">Durham</a> for his new post as veterans affairs minister. I also thank him for his service to our country.</p>
<p data-HoCid="0" data-originallang="en">Having said that, as a veteran and as the Minister of Veterans Affairs, does he now believe—because the <a data-HoCid="78738" href="/politicians/stephen-harper/" title="Stephen Harper">Prime Minister</a> and the former minister would not answer this question—that the Government of Canada has a social, moral, legal, and fiduciary responsibility to care for those men and women it asks to put themselves in harm's way?</p>Mon, 26 Jan 2015 14:45:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2015/1/26/peter-stoffer-1/Veterans Affairshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/12/10/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3938120" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, while the government sends our brave men and women off to war, it refuses to admit that when they come back with physical or mental challenges there is a moral and social obligation to care for them. It has lawyers in B.C. right now arguing the point, spending thousands of Canadian tax dollars, that there is no moral or social contract for our veterans.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3938121" data-originallang="en">Does the <a data-HoCid="194843" href="/politicians/parm-gill/" title="Parm Gill">parliamentary secretary</a> believe or does he not believe that there is a legal, fiduciary, moral and social obligation to care for the heroes of our country?</p>Wed, 10 Dec 2014 14:40:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/12/10/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/12/9/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3936910" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, when young men and women from Canada go off to war, they and their families need to know that their government and country will care for them in the event they become physically disabled, mentally challenged, or make the ultimate sacrifice.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3936911" data-originallang="en">Yesterday, I asked the <a data-HoCid="194615" href="/politicians/julian-fantino/" title="Julian Fantino">Minister of Veterans Affairs</a>, does the government have a sacred obligation to care for them? He would not answer it.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3936912" data-originallang="en">My question is directly for the <a data-HoCid="78738" href="/politicians/stephen-harper/" title="Stephen Harper">Prime Minister</a> of Canada. Does the Prime Minister of Canada believe that the government has a judicial, legal, moral, and social obligation to care for the heroes of our country?</p>Tue, 09 Dec 2014 14:55:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/12/9/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/12/8/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3935051" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, the only reason that I, as a Dutch foreign Canadian, get to stand on Canadian soil is because 5,700 Canadians and our allies are laying beneath Dutch soil.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3935052" data-originallang="en">When we send our heroes off to war, they expect to be cared for, and their families, when they come back injured, either physically or mentally. Yet, the government is spending thousands of dollars on lawyers defending the argument that there is no moral or social contract to care for our veteran community.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3935053" data-originallang="en">My question to the minister is very simple. Yes or no, do you or do you not believe, through you Mr. Speaker, that you have a fiduciary, legal, moral or social obligation to our veterans?</p>Mon, 08 Dec 2014 14:35:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/12/8/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/11/20/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3899517" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, on my desk right now I have a file from a veteran in B.C. who was denied VIP service. I have another one from Ontario who was denied a hearing aid. I had a World War II veteran who was denied a lift so that he could go up and down his stairs.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3899518" data-originallang="en">Why? The department says that it simply cannot finance these types of initiatives, yet we find out that over $1 billion has been sent back.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3899519" data-originallang="en">I would like to ask a question directly to the <a data-HoCid="194843" href="/politicians/parm-gill/" title="Parm Gill">parliamentary secretary</a>. Has he no shame that these veterans and many others go without, while the government transfers $1 billion back to the finance department for its useless tax schemes?</p>Thu, 20 Nov 2014 14:45:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/11/20/peter-stoffer-1/Veteranshttp://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/11/19/peter-stoffer-1/<p data-HoCid="3898116" data-originallang="en">Mr. Speaker, I want to publicly thank the Department of Veterans Affairs for tweaking the benefit package of the late Corporal Nathan Cirillo so that his family will receive all of the benefits of a regular force person, as he was a reservist. The problem is that many other reservists who become injured or die in the line of duty will not get the same benefits as those of a regular force person who is injured or dies in the line of service. The major veterans' groups, all veterans' advocacy groups, the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs, and the ombudsman have asked repeatedly that reservists who are injured or die in the line of duty get the same benefits as regular force members.</p>
<p data-HoCid="3898117" data-originallang="en">When will the government honour those recommendations and do the right thing for the reservists of our country?</p>Wed, 19 Nov 2014 14:45:00 -0500http://openparliament.ca/debates/2014/11/19/peter-stoffer-1/